45Drives Expands Canadian Presence with Kitchener-Waterloo Office to Strengthen National Innovation

45Drives, a leading provider of enterprise data storage and virtual compute solutions, has expanded its Canadian footprint with a new office in the Kitchener-Waterloo region of Ontario. This expansion represents a significant milestone in the company's growth and reinforces its parent company's commitment to investing in Canadian innovation, advanced manufacturing, and high-growth technology sectors. The new office will be shared with parent company Protocase, which specializes in manufacturing custom electronic enclosures and precision parts for innovative industries including aerospace, defense, and advanced computing.

The Kitchener-Waterloo area holds particular significance for 45Drives as President and Co-Founder Dr. Douglas Milburn earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, establishing deep personal and professional ties to the region's globally recognized academic and technology communities. Dr. Milburn emphasized the strategic importance of this expansion, stating that establishing a stronger presence in Kitchener-Waterloo strengthens the company's ability to serve enterprise and government customers nationwide while creating high-quality jobs and deepening investment in Canadian talent.

As an inherently Canadian company within the Protocase Companies portfolio, 45Drives designs and manufactures solutions that prioritize transparency, security, and performance for mission-critical enterprise and government environments. The new Kitchener-Waterloo office will enhance the company's national reach, accelerate collaboration across engineering and manufacturing teams, and support continued economic growth through regional hiring and long-term investment. The Protocase Companies have grown into a cross-border organization employing nearly 600 people across Canada and the United States while maintaining deep roots in Canadian engineering, manufacturing, and research and development excellence.

This expansion matters because it represents a strategic investment in one of Canada's most important technology and innovation hubs at a time when domestic technological sovereignty and advanced manufacturing capabilities are increasingly critical. By establishing a presence in Kitchener-Waterloo, 45Drives positions itself to tap into the region's world-class engineering talent pool and academic resources while strengthening Canada's domestic data storage and computing infrastructure capabilities. The move also demonstrates how Canadian technology companies can successfully grow while maintaining their national identity and commitment to domestic innovation ecosystems.

The implications of this announcement extend beyond corporate expansion to broader economic development considerations. By creating high-quality technology jobs in Ontario while maintaining its Nova Scotia headquarters, 45Drives contributes to a more balanced national technology economy. The company's focus on serving enterprise and government customers with secure, transparent solutions addresses growing concerns about data sovereignty and security in an increasingly digital economy. This expansion also reinforces the importance of Canadian-owned technology companies in critical infrastructure sectors, ensuring that key capabilities remain under domestic control rather than being outsourced to foreign entities. The official grand opening celebration will take place at the 45Drives headquarters within Catalyst Commons Limited Partnership, marking this next chapter in the company's evolution and celebrating the opportunities this expansion brings to the region.